The Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a basketball system with a weight-fillable base. More particularly, the present invention is related to a basketball system with a weight-fillable base having a unique design which enables the base to be moved when filled with ballast material and having a configuration that assists in the packaging of the component parts of the basketball system for shipment in a single relatively flat box.
Technical Background
As the game of basketball has increased in popularity, a greater number of people have purchased basketball systems for use at their homes. Such basketball systems typically include at least a pole to which a backboard and a goal is secured so that the goal is suspended above a playing surface. Heretofore most basketball systems were permanently mounted into the ground near the home's driveway, which serves as the basketball court because few homes have sufficient surrounding land to dedicate space for exclusive use as a basketball court.
In some instances, determining where to permanently mount a basketball system can be difficult. At some homes, for example, permanently mounting a basketball system next to the driveway could provide a risk to traffic in the driveway, resulting in danger or injury to players, automobiles, or the basketball system.
Sometimes the only viable location for a basketball system is a location where permanently mounting a basketball system cannot be easily accomplished. For instance, the ground may be covered by a layer of concrete or asphalt, so that mounting the pole in the ground would require breaking a hole in the concrete or asphalt and then repairing the hole after the pole has been affixed in the ground. Such a procedure could be expensive and would likely result in an unsightly driveway.
Permanently installed outdoor basketball systems suffer from other disadvantages as well. Because they are permanently mounted, they are generally exposed to the weather throughout the entire year. Constant exposure to the weather can cause the basketball system to prematurely wear by promoting oxidation. Premature oxidation can be particularly troublesome in systems having moving parts, such as poles and backboards that employ adjustable height mechanisms or breakaway goals. Constant exposure to the weather can cause these parts to prematurely fail.
Even permanently mounted basketball systems utilized in indoor environments suffer from some disadvantages. For example, a typical school has a gymnasium which must serve many purposes. Having several basketball systems permanently mounted for use in the gymnasium may preclude or at least interfere with certain other activities, even if the basketball systems are mounted on a wall or ceiling. On formal occasions, objection may be made to the appearance of permanently mounted basketball systems. The location of the permanently mounted basketball system may also interfere with other sporting activities.
In response to these and other disadvantages inherent in permanently mounted basketball systems, designs for portable basketball systems have been developed. In order for the portable basketball system to be effective, sufficient weight must be employed to maintain the pole, backboard, and goal in a generally rigid position for use in playing the game of basketball. Hence, some portable designs are extremely heavy, making the systems particularly difficult to move and possibly requiring the assistance of several people to set up or remove the system. Additionally, such designs can be prohibitively expensive for people desiring to purchase one for use at home.
Some prior-art designs have utilized removable weights, such as sand bags or metal weights, for use on a support structure which anchors the pole to the ground. A principal disadvantage to the use of these types of removable weights is that they can be extremely heavy to move from one place to another. While the support and the systems employing such designs may be easier to move, the weights are not. Some designs are extremely large and bulky because they employ long lever arms in an attempt to minimize the removable weights required by increasing the effective weight of those weights.
In an attempt to make a portable basketball system that is consumer affordable and ideal for use at home, some designs have employed a water-filled base. Such systems can be easily moved to a desired location where the base is then filled with water. The water-filled base provides sufficient weight to maintain the pole, backboard, and goal in a generally rigid position for use in playing basketball. When it is desired to move the system, the water is emptied out and the system moved. The principal advantage of such a system is that water is inexpensive, plentiful, and generally convenient to use.
Some portable basketball systems dispose the pole onto which the backboard and goal assembly is secured at an angle rather than employing a vertical pole. This is typically done to provide sufficient horizontal distance between the base, which is generally pyramidal in shape and extends outwardly in all directions from the pole, and the backboard. Such pyramidal bases are bulky and cannot easily be packaged for shipping in a single relatively flat box. Hence, packaging and shipping costs for transporting this type of portable basketball system are considerably more than they would be if the system could be packaged into a single relatively flat container. This expense is passed along to the consumer.
Moreover, most basketball backboards are designed to be secured to a vertical surface so that the rim portion of the goal lies in a horizontal plane above the playing surface. For example, most height adjustable systems, such as those disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,781,375 and 4,805,904, require a vertical mounting surface. Of course, adapters may be employed, but they would unduly add to the cost and complexity of the system.
A significant demand exists for sturdy, low-cost, portable basketball systems. Consumers are looking for an affordable alternative to the permanently mounted basketball system, for the reasons outlined above. Retail marketers of basketball systems are looking for basketball systems that meet consumers' needs and also have additional qualities.
In particular, retailers seek portable basketball systems that can be easily displayed in a minimum of floor space and can be stacked to maximize inventory in the available shelf space. For example, a basketball system that can be packaged into a shipping carton that has a depth of about 14 inches can be stacked only six cartons high within a room with an 8 foot ceiling, while a carton of depth of about 8 inches can be stacked twelve cartons high in the same room. Such stacking ability also translates to significant shipping cost savings because more systems can be transported in a truck trailer or a box car.
Although various portable basketball systems have previously been developed, there have been no such systems that could be packaged into a relatively flat shipping carton (as used herein, the phrase "relatively flat" when applied to a shipping carton means a carton having a depth of about 12 inches or less). Typically, the base, whether it is a base that is ballast fillable or supports weights, required packaging that was not relatively flat.
Additionally, packing the component parts of the basketball system frequently required cardboard or styrofoam dividers to prevent undesirable shifting and damage to the components during shipping. Such dividers add cost to the price ultimately charged to the consumer and become waste to the consumer. It is not unusual for such dividers to add as much as five percent (5%) to the retail cost of the basketball system.
Thus, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a portable base for a basketball system which utilizes ballast secured within the base as a weight, but which can be easily moved by one person without having to remove the ballast from the base.
It would be a related advancement in the art to provide a base for a basketball system to which a pole could be secured in a substantially vertical position, thereby providing a vertical support to which could be attached a backboard and goal.
It would also be an advancement in the art if such a portable base could be provided which can receive liquid (e.g., water) or solid particles (e.g., sand) as ballast without leaking or spilling.
It would be a further advancement in the art to provide a portable base for a basketball goal system which has wheels that can support the effective weight of the system when the system is tilted from its upward position so that the system can be maneuvered from one place to another without requiring the removal of the ballast.
It would be a related advancement to provide such a portable basketball system which can be stored without disassembly in less space than the system requires when secured for play in an upward position.
It would be still another advancement in the art to provide a portable basketball system having component parts that are capable of assembly into a relatively flat carton for shipping.
It would be a related advancement to provide a portable basketball system whose base has an exterior contour that assists in the packaging of the components so that packing dividers are dramatically reduced or eliminated.
Such a system is disclosed and claimed herein.